IND vs SL: Rohit Sharma Needs To Contribute Personally And Add Value To The Team With The Bat - Saba Karim

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim felt that the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, has started to fall behind with the bat after taking up captaincy in all three formats and needs to contribute in the second Test.

Rohit has started off his Test captaincy stint with a victory but he will not be satisfied with the way he performed with the bat. The 34-year-old got off to a breezy start before a trademark pull-shot resulted in his downfall.

Speaking about the importance of scoring in the second Test in Bengaluru which will be a day-night affair, Karim said it will be a challenge and it is one that Rohit needs to face and overcome.

“It will be very important for Rohit Sharma to perform with the bat. He has led very well but you become a good or a great captain with the support of the team. He needs to contribute personally as well and keep adding value to the team. So yes, the next Test will be a challenge for him,” Karim said in an episode on the Khelneeti podcast.

“He will need to convert his starts into big scores” – Saba Karim on Mayank Agarwal

Speaking about Rohit’s opening partner, Mayank Agarwal, Karim said that the Indian team management needs to stick with him as he scored a lot of runs. However, he also asserted that Agarwal does get off to good starts but fails to convert them.

“Expect India to go in with the same opening combination. Why would you want to change things after just one Test match? Mayank has scored plenty of runs in Indian conditions. He wasn’t struggling in the previous Test. But yes, he will need to convert his starts into big scores,” Karim added.

The second Test will likely see the return of all-rounder, Axar Patel, who could be replacing Jayant Yadav. The rest of the playing XI is expected to be the same.

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